Abstract: A robotic carton unloader for unloading a carton pile resting on a floor includes a mobile body movable across the floor on more than one wheel. A conveyor system mounted on the mobile body conveys unloaded cartons thereon. A robotic arm assembly has a manipulator head attached to a front end of the upper arm assembly. The manipulator head engages at least one carton at a time from a carton pile resting on a floor for movement to the conveyor system. A built-in jacking apparatus is extendable from the mobile body to a floor to raise the mobile body a distance sufficient to raise at least one of the more than one wheel away from contacting the floor.

Abstract: A conveyor section for transportation or accumulation of articles such as cartons and totes includes a pair of spaced, opposing side rails, vertical frame members attached transversely between the pair of opposing side rails, and live rollers transversely attached for rotation between the opposing side. An upstream end idler and a downstream end idler both having a vertical axis of rotation are attached at respective upstream and downstream ends of the conveyor section. A drive belt is vertically elongate and supported for horizontal looping between the upstream and downstream end idlers. The drive belt supported and guided by the vertical frame members such that a drive loop side and a return loop side are horizontally positioned under the live rollers. The drive loop side of the drive belt is at selectively engageable to an undersurface of the live rollers. A drive motor is operatively coupled to drive the drive belt.

Abstract: A side-by-side reducer (SSR) conveyor has one lateral side of driven rollers operating at a different longitudinal running speed than another lateral side of driven rollers. The one lateral has an input section of driven rollers skewed away from the other lateral side followed by a converging zone of driven rollers skewed toward the other lateral side. The separation prevents frictional contact between side-by-side cartons so that one can be longitudinally moved a different velocity than the other to converge in a tandem arrangement.

Abstract: An autonomous device for loading and unloading trucks comprises a mobile body, a robot arm and a body conveyor system to convey cartons during loading and unloading. A manipulator attaches to a moveable end of the robot arm and is maneuverable within the tight confines of the truck. The manipulator picks up a row of articles at a first location and places the row of articles down at a second location. The manipulator is reconfigurable to match to both locations.

Abstract: Various embodiments provide systems and methods for providing a desired gap between articles within a continuously flowing train of articles. Various embodiment methods may include operating a material handling system including a plurality of conveying units, by generating motion profiles for a plurality of articles to provide a pre-determined gap between the articles, and controlling the plurality of conveying units to move each article in accordance with its motion profile as the plurality of articles move through the material handling system.

Abstract: A self-aligning interface (6300) is attached to a robotic carton unloader (6100) and provides an interface between an extendable conveyor (6200) and the robotic carton unloader (6100). The self-aligning interface (6300) can include a positional measurement device (6320, 6320b, 6320c) mounted on the robotic carton unloader (6100) and operatively engaged with the extendable conveyor (6200) to provide positional information about the location of the extendable nose conveyor (6220) relative to the positional measurement device (6320, 6320b, 6320c). A control unit (6180) is attached to the robotic carton unloader (6100) for full robotic control of robotic carton unloader (6100) and the unloading process. The control unit (6180) is connected to the positional measurement device (6320, 6320b, 6320c) and the extendable conveyor (6200).

Abstract: An apparatus and a method of using a plurality of dual acting cylinders to acquire articles with vacuum cups is disclosed. A robot arm comprises a manipulator movable with the robot arm with the plurality of dual acting cylinders attached to the manipulator. The robot arm is configured to passively conform to a plurality of irregular articles by extending dual acting cylinders from manipulator and moving the manipulator distally with the robot arm to conform to the plurality of irregular articles. The movement causes each dual acting cylinder to passively and proximally retract from the contact of the vacuum cup with a respective irregular article and passively conform the vacuum cups and dual acting cylinders to the plurality of irregular articles. Each vacuum cup can adhere to and can manipulate acquired articles with vacuum.

Abstract: A robotic carton unloader for automatic unloading of cartons from a carton pile stacked within a trailer. In various embodiments, a robotic carton unloader may comprise a conveyor system, a manipulator movably attached to an end of a robotic positioner and configured to dislodge one or more cartons from a carton pile; and a frame comprising a bumper configured to be pressed against the carton pile below one or more cartons being dislodged from the carton pile by the manipulator to stabilize the carton pile below the one or more cartons being dislodged; and a shelf configured to catch the one or more cartons dislodged from the carton pile and guide the one or more cartons dislodged from the carton pile onto the conveyor system.

Abstract: Systems, methods, devices, and non-transitory processor readable media of the various embodiments enable in store voice picking systems. In various embodiments, an end-to-end voice ordering and fulfillment system for a retail store may enable a customer to place an order over the phone, a personal shopper to be directed to fill the order via voice commands, and the order to be made available for pickup at the retail store by the customer or delivered to the customer from the retail store.

Abstract: A material handling system includes a belted conveyor that longitudinally transports low profile articles. An actuating mechanism selectively positions a counter rotating cylindrical roller brush diagonal across the conveyor surface to divert the low profile articles to a lateral destination off a side of the belted conveyor and can position the cylindrical roller brush away the belted conveyor to allow the low profile articles to transport to a longitudinal destination at a terminal end of the belted conveyor.

Abstract: A transmission for driving articles can drive the articles in any direction up to nearly 360 degrees from a first direction of motion of the article while maintaining the input constant. The transmissions can be used in connection with material handling systems to convey articles to desired locations. Conveyor sections may have a plurality of such transmissions whose orientations are controlled as a group or individually.

Abstract: A modular order fullment system uses a number of inexpensive mobile apparatuses such as containers with horizontally accessible bins that are brought to a stationary frame that supports a pick-to-light system to direct a human or robotic operator to pick from or put to receptacles in the mobile apparatus.

Abstract: Systems, methods, devices, and non-transitory media of the various embodiments provide dynamic cubby logic that enables cubbies of a put wall to be assigned to orders as items for the orders are received at the put wall. In an embodiment, batches or waves of orders may be generated and released without cubbies of a put wall assigned to the orders. As the first item for an order is detected at the put wall a cubby from the available cubbies of the put wall may be selected for the order and all items of the order may be assigned the selected cubby. The cubby may be selected from the available cubbies based at least in part on a priority among the cubbies of the put wall.

Abstract: A conveying system includes a case turner which selectively reorients selected articles or cases from an orientation to a desired orientation. The case turner includes a primary conveying path and a secondary conveying path which intersects with the primary conveying path. The conveying system may include a plurality of right angle transfer conveyors and an alternative conveying path for reject cases. A right angle transfer conveyor may be configured and controlled to reorient articles to a desired orientation.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices of the various embodiments enable graph based routing of containers and adjustments of container routing based on one or more current material handling system state. The various embodiments enable examination and evaluation of the material handling systems using graphs to find an optimal route from a starting node in the material handling system to an ending node in the material handling system. In an embodiment, the graph may be a directed graph of edges and nodes of a material handling system. In an embodiment, the directed graph may include edge weights and the edge weights may be used to determine the optimal route for the container. In an embodiment, the edge weights may be updated as events occur in the material handling system which may result in dynamic routing of containers through the material handling system.

Abstract: Systems, methods, devices, and non-transitory processor-readable storage media enabling the characterization of the current states of labor distribution and improved labor distribution management within distribution centers. In an embodiment, a computing device may be configured to analyze data related to the workloads of various tasks performed in a distribution center as well as data related to labor to determine state information that represent whether the tasks are adequately staffed for a given time and generate and/or display graphical information related to the adequacy of labor distribution for the various tasks of the distribution center. The computing device may assign state indicators that code, rank, or otherwise characterize the current labor distribution for tasks. The computing device may re-assign workers to various tasks performed within a distribution center by transmitting messages that re-assign a worker to a new zone and/or task.

Abstract: A shuttle system includes a shuttle which has no onboard power to drive the shuttle nor to drive a conveyor carried by said shuttle. The shuttle is moved by a first drive element which is driven by a remotely located mechanical power source. The conveyor is connected to a second drive element and is selectively actuated driving said second drive element such that there is a speed difference between the second drive element and the first drive element.

Abstract: A sortation conveyor for transporting and diverting a plurality of articles includes a first conveying path and a second conveying path angularly positioned relative to the first conveying path. A plurality of pusher elements may be selectively diverted laterally across the first conveying path to divert articles to the second conveying path. A piezoelectric actuated switch assembly positioned adjacent to the second conveying path selectively engages the pusher elements to divert the selected article to the second conveying path.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices of the various embodiments enable graph based routing of containers and adjustments of container routing based on one or more current material handling system state. The various embodiments enable examination and evaluation of the material handling systems using graphs to find an optimal route from a starting node in the material handling system to an ending node in the material handling system. In an embodiment, the graph may be a directed graph of edges and nodes of a material handling system. In an embodiment, the directed graph may include edge weights and the edge weights may be used to determine the optimal route for the container. In an embodiment, the edge weights may be updated as events occur in the material handling system which may result in dynamic routing of containers through the material handling system.

Abstract: Systems, methods, devices, and non-transitory processor readable media of the various embodiments enable control of a conveyor having a plurality of zones each having a control module configured to control a selectable speed of the zone. The various embodiments are disclosed in connection with, but not necessarily limited to, accumulation conveyors with control systems which selectively set the speeds of zones based on conditions of upstream and downstream zones. The various embodiments are directed to improving efficiency of accumulation systems by controlling zones based upon consideration of conditions of neighboring zones. The various embodiment also enable the generation and use of translation tables correlating zones with network addresses of their respective control modules.